


Discovering Their Faith

by thatsoccercoach



Series: A Story of Faith [1]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Family Fluff, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 11:42:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13880133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoccercoach/pseuds/thatsoccercoach
Summary: You can find more of my stories over on Tumblr at https://thatsoccercoach.tumblr.com





	Discovering Their Faith

                                                       

She and Joe had both worked a double, had gotten hardly any rest at all, then had returned to work another double. Claire had done it so that she’d have the same days off as Jamie. They’d had so little time with each other lately. As soon as he’d become a part of her life, she had quickly come to assume he’d always be near. Coming back to their home knowing he wouldn’t be there wasn’t something she enjoyed at all, but today would be different. Time together was one thing they’d decided was a priority in their marriage and it was a challenge they worked hard to meet. Tonight their schedules were finally the same and they’d both have a nice block of time to spend with one another. But right now, she thought she might not make it until then.

“Ugh,” she sat and tucked her head between her knees, dehydrated, queasy, and exhausted. “I clearly don’t have the stamina for back to back doubles like this anymore.”

“You need to go easy on yourself, LJ.” Joe interjected. “No reason to push this hard right now. Just slow down a bit!” Only moments ago he’d been talking to her of an amazing surgery he’d just finished but he quickly changed direction to focus on Claire and her well-being. Something had been “off” lately and he knew her well enough to have his suspicions.

“But I’ve always been able to do this” she mumbled from somewhere between her knees. “There’s not a single good reason for why I am unable to maintain this pace,” she said, mildly disgusted with herself. She began to slowly raise her head only to moan and put it back down, breathing slowly and evenly all the while.

“Well,” Joe paused, not making eye contact, which was easy until Claire finally got her head back up. “Have you ever been, you know, before…” he trailed off.

“Have I ever been what before, Joe?” she spat back, shooting a dark look his way. She never enjoyed it when he beat around the bush.

“Aw LJ, don’t make me ask you!” he exclaimed with a look that was halfway to embarrassed.

“Don’t make _you_ ask _me_ what Joe? Clearly I’m not seeing what this is all about so you may as well just spit it out!”

He glanced heavenward as if seeking divine intervention. Possibly he was seeking divine protection because Claire’s wrath if he was wrong was going to be terrifying. “Are you pregnant?”

She began to sputter. “Am I _wha_? Of course I’m not!” she rolled her eyes trying to be irritated but instead becoming emotional over the one thing that she desperately wanted to give Jamie and couldn’t. “I not even able to get pregnant!”

“You sure about that?” he prodded.

Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t.

“Ooh hoo! I’m right, aren’t I? I just diagnosed the best diagnostician!” he crowed gleefully.

“No, really Joe!” Now she was going to panic. “It’s never been something that was going to happen. I’ve known almost forever that I can’t get pregnant. _And_ ,” she emphasized, “Jamie and I been married for nearly four years now and it hasn’t happened. Because it probably can’t.”

“Umhm. As a nurse you should really know that ‘unlikely’ and ‘impossible’ are very different,” he raised his eyebrows at her. “So, it’s a good thing you work in a hospital because we actually have a handy little test for this situation.”

“If you were not my friend, I would slap you right now Joe Abernathy. Stop gloating. You know nothing,” she scowled again deciding to hide behind frustration instead of allowing her tender, repeatedly-broken heart to hope. Yet.

* * *

They sat side by side on the couch in front of their fireplace. Claire still didn’t know if she could believe it. If she dared to believe it.

She could if Jamie did though.

“So,” she began slowly, haltingly. “Today I… I took a test.” She paused as he grinned. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she glowered at him. “You’ve not any idea what I’m going to say!”

“Och, sure I do. I’ve kent it for days but I’ve been waiting for you to catch on.” On his face was a look of purest joy and the posture of his entire body had changed in a single moment. From completely relaxed to proud as a stallion.

“You can’t possibly have known! _I_ didn’t even know!” Claire was completely exasperated. Honestly, did everyone know but her? She bristled a bit when Jamie pulled her close to cradle her against him.

“Aye, I did, Sassenach. But I didna want to scare ye.” He spoke tenderly now, held her tighter, and felt her take a trembling breath before settling against him.

Doubt, fear, and hope warred with a thousand other emotions and Claire began to wonder, eyes welling with tears. Just how many emotions could one person possibly feel in the space of a single moment without shattering to pieces?

“See, neither one of us dreamt this would happen. To have that dream come true, Claire, well, it seems like we could wake up and it all would have been just that. A dream. Ye ken?” He didn’t even bother looking at her, just being near her so close as if they could communicate by touch alone.

She melted against the shelter of his strong body. “Hold us, Jamie,” she whispered, entreatingly. 

Earlier the sheer impossibility of it had shocked her. Later the staggering magnitude of it would frighten her. But in this moment she reveled in the beauty and redemption of new life.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find more of my stories over on Tumblr at https://thatsoccercoach.tumblr.com


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